Craigslist is the new QuaranTinder.
New Yorkers aren’t letting the pandemic pause their search for love — and coronavirus has made them more committal than ever.
Gone are the days of casual hookups: City dwellers aren’t seeking flings but bunker buddies.
“If it’s end of days we can at least go satisfied, and if we live through it then we have an interesting story to share for the rest of our lives,” reads one Craigslist post for an isolation mate by a 42-year-old business professional who includes their height, weight and that they’re “dd” (drug and disease) free.
“Would love to connect with someone, gather some food, necessities and hide together, we can get to know each other, have some fun while doing it,” writes the Queens-based searcher.
Others are offering up provisions in exchange for love in the time of coronavirus.
“Before we all get put into quarantine let’s live together,” a Bay Ridge-based individual writes in a Craigslist post seeking to quarantine and chill. “I am looking for a live in situation and you can have room rent free. I am very well stocked up on food and beverages.”
While the poster clarifies they’d prefer their new housemate to be their lover, those who are interested but not looking for love should also respond “with a pic.”
In Bushwick, a “young good looking guy” is seeking “a little quarantine service,” and specifies, “Prefer Latino men, open to attractive.”
In another post, a 63-year-old man is looking for “Westchester/Bronx only” women to quarantine with him. But first, they must “meet up for coffee and discuss this.”
One woman is using the concept of a wanted ad for a “Coronavirus Quarantine Boyfriend,” simply to gain Instagram followers — but was inundated with real applicants.
“I didn’t expect to get 100, 150 applications that were serious through Craigslist,” says 32-year-old Kelly Lions, who found herself swamped with potential BFs after posting a call for a “covid-19 boyfriend (2 weeks max).” In addition to describing herself as “an attractive ~30yo professional female,” Lions also offers “Purell + lots of TP,” as well as “a sunny apt with south facing windows,” in her writeup.
In addition to the Craigslist responses, she also got some 200-300 responses on Instagram.
“People were serious,” Lions tells The Post, adding that she totally understood why people would be “freaking out” at the possibility of a solo quarantine.
“I love that all the responses, they always started with the fact that they had Netflix accounts,” she says.
Despite some singles taking drastic measures amid the outbreak, 92% of people are dating as normal, according to OkCupid. Although with NYC’s bars, restaurants and nightclubs now shuttered for the foreseeable future, it’s unclear how much longer that statistic will hold true.
Here/Now, a dating service which focuses on curating gatherings and eschewing phones, is pivoting to virtual experiences while singles are on lockdown mode.
“These are strange and stressful times but we hope Here/Now can provide real human connection during this time of social distancing and be the root of some love stories on the other side of this,” the company writes in a press release for their new application-only virtual singles events. The events begin on Tuesday and are currently planned every evening through Thursday in NYC.
The company boasts they play matchmaker, hand-selecting each group of singles and offering them discounted wine deliveries. The event itself consists of a host welcoming the group and then sending them into rotating one-on-one conversations. Afterwards, attendees fill out a survey, indicating who they felt a connection with, and if it was mutual, the pair are automatically connected via SMS.
“There you can plan future virtual hangs until the quarantine is over!” reads the release.
